Special Affairs Team TEN: Episode 5

This is one sad case. Episode 5 is titled “The Forest Chaser,” but I think the episode could also have been called “The Good Samaritan.” This episode had a few more twists – one more heart wrenching than the last.

A woman, Jo Soo Young, runs through the forest, her hands bound in front of her. She trips and falls, but continues running up her path. Eventually she falls on her knees in despair, and that’s when she’s finally killed off by our unknown murderer. She’s discovered lying on some rocks, as if on an altar, with an arrow through her chest.

Baek Do Shik’s matchmaker signs him up for a singles’ hiking club in the hopes that he can finally get a girl. He goes toa department store and starts purchasing all these mountain gear and specially made jackets. The saleslady is so good in ripping him off too! It isn’t until he decides on a jacket that he realizes Min Ho is calling – they have a new homicide case and it’s in Mt. Duma. Well perfect! Do Shik’s already dressed for the occasion!

The M.E. is on site checking out the bloody body of Soo Young. Cause of death: excessive bleeding. It is very similar to a case two months ago where a man, Ha Tae Ho, was killed in a similar fashion. Ji Hoon notes that both bodies had their ear drums punctured; since that detail was never reported during police press conferences of Ho Tae’s death, it indicates that Soo Young wasn’t murdered by a copycat.

Min Ho discovers a slip of paper with a biblical phrase in Soo Young’s jacket pocket: Although you have eyes and ears, why don’t you see or hear?

When Do Shik finally arrives, he and Ji Hoon muse over why the victim’s hands were tied in the front; if the murderer wanted her in submission, he would have tied them behind her back. Ji Hoon also notes that this particular body was moved to the rocks, rather than having died there. They already have a team of officers searching the area, but Ji Hoon suggests they climb over one of the many hills.

They reach a small clearing where a lot of blood is found at the foot of a handmade scarecrow. Ji Hoon notes that Tae Ho’s body was found by a scarecrow too, so this must be where Soo Young actually died.

Meanwhile, Ye Ri is sent to speak with Soo Young’s sister. The sister is shocked by the news of Soo Young’s death, and Ye Ri takes the opportunity to explore the house. It’s a home of a neat freak, as there is not a single thing out of place and everything has been cleaned up. In Soo Young’s room, Ye Ri also discovers a few photos from church and gleans the fact that Soo Young must be a very devout Christian. One of those photos has Soo Young standing in front of a church with another guy.

For a very weird reason, Ye Ri recognizes Soo Young’s name, but can’t exactly place where she’s seen the girl before.

Back in the forest, Ji Hoon notices a cord wrapped around the scarecrow that’s had its knot snapped apart. He thinks something was hung around it, but it’s now gone. As for Do Shik, he notices that all the broken branches and bloody trail all seem to be aligned in a straight line. He shouts for all the officers to freeze, and has each of them tie a yellow tape on each of the blood splatter and broken branches. What results is a marked, straight path, and Do Shik finds it very curious that a captive ran in such a straight line despite being disoriented and having hands bound. The straight line led to the scarecrow.

If they were a little more careless about where they were going, the police could have tampered the evidence.

The M.E. continues her autopsy in her lab and determines that Soo Young was drugged before she was brought to the mountain. Though her body was found with rope tied around her eyes, the lack of bruising indicates that the murderer tied it after she was dead. As for Ji Hoon and Do Shik, they find that the rope tied around her legs was cut cleanly. It means that the murderer let her go running, and then hunted her down for fun.

Min Ho finds it odd that the murderer enjoyed the chase so much. The murderer not only took great pains to keep the hunt in a secluded part of the mountain, but he would then allow the bodies to be easily found. Tae Ho’s body was found a few meters away from where his cell phone with GPS was; Soo Young’s body was found on a rock where she’d be easily seen. Ji Hoon presumes that the murderer wanted his message to be heard, and it’s possible he did not pick these victims randomly.

Do Shik continues investigating at a rest stop on the mountain, where several vendors set up shop selling beverages. He purchases coffee from one, who has a cold, and learns that these sellers make a long trek from the parking lot up the mountain carrying all of their heavy supplies. That gives Do Shik an idea – does the parking lot have CCTV?

Ye Ri goes to the bank where Soo Young worked, and asks a colleague about her schedule. Soo Young lived a quiet life, always working or going to church. The colleague thinks Soo Young wasn’t always so quiet though, but because of an “incident” five years ago, she changed. Apparently Soo Young had put in an extra zero on a client’s bank account, and was subsequently transferred to another, smaller branch of the bank.

However, two years ago, Soo Young also received the Brave Citizens’ Award, and therefore was likely to get a promotion. During a bank robbery, Soo Young was able to intervene before the robber hurt a child in the process. A photo of the awards ceremony hangs on the wall, and when Ye Ri takes a closer look, she realizes that she was the one who handed Soo Young the bouquet of flowers!

That little fact puts her in a funk all day.

When everyone is back in the office researching, Do Shik goes over to Ye Ri for a little private chat, concerned about her well-being. It’s a beautiful moment out in the dark as we watch the two of them speak under a lamppost light, and only see their silhouettes. She admits to feeling lost and empty – she handed one woman an award, only to be investigating her death a couple years later. He can sympathize – he used to find it quite disturbing as well when he would see a victim, and wonder if the day before they knew they were going to die. His advice in getting over it? “Ask the stars….”

PFFT. What a way to ruin the somber moment! Thing is, Do Shik was serious!

The CCTV tapes from the mountain’s parking lot come in, but a banner hides the license plate of a suspicious car that most likely belongs to the murderer. NOT a coincidence of course. It just means that the murderer really knows his way around the mountain. Nevertheless, a really close look at the video shows part of the cab company’s name, so Do Shik orders Min Ho to find that cab company.

Min Ho, being the little kid that he can be, complains about having to do all the work. Do Shik tells him to leave Ye Ri alone, because she’s feeling terrible about her connection to Soo Young through the Brave Citizen Award. That rings a bell – turns out Tae Ho received the same award!

Three years ago, Tae Ho caught a sexual molester, while Soo Young had caught a robber. Min Ho wonders if the two offenders are the same person, and therefore are killing them out of revenge. Ye Ri pops in – she’s already done the research, and they’re not the same person. The robber, Kang Ji Hwan, was already released and now spends his time in a prayer house on a mountain. The sex offender is still in jail.

Ye Ri goes up to the prayer house and sees Ji Hwan praying in the church. He immediately gets defensive when he realizes she’s a detective, saying that he’s no longer a criminal and has become a devout Christian. If Ye Ri is investigating a robbery nearby, well, he’s definitely not the culprit.

But all she says instead is, “You know Jo Soo Young right?” He is numbed into silence, and when she adds that Soo Young is dead, his face contorts into grief. That’s a real expression of sadness in Ye Ri’s perceptive eyes, and so she determines that he can’t possibly be the murderer.

Ji Hwan tells her that even though Soo Young was the one who put him in jail, she was also the only one who visited him. Soo Young helped him restart his life, having him go to college and study theology. She had wanted him to become a good Samaritan to others. Apparently, several years ago, she had done something that she regretted terribly. Since then she has sworn to follow the Bible more faithfully, to do good unto others as she would want them to do unto her. Therefore, she has promised to be the good Samaritan to Ji Hwan in the hopes that he will be a good Samaritan to others.

Ye Ri realizes that this incident Ji Hwan is describing must have coincided with the incident Soo Young’s colleague at the bank was referring to. She orders Min Ho to go find out where Tae Ho and Soo Young were five years ago; they might have been together.

Ji Hoon continues puzzling over the case in his office, where he maps out the route Soo Young ran on his clear writing board. What he can’t understand is how Soo Young ran in one direction, straight, despite falling down a steep side of the mountain, and having been all disoriented. Do Shik also has the same thought as he hikes through Mt. Duma with a guide, where he is told that the corpse was found along a very difficult and rocky path.

That evening, Ji Hoon investigates the crime scene again and follows the path that Soo Young ran. Suddenly, he sees a light in the distance. He follows it, and ends up where the scarecrow was – where Do Shik is standing with the flashlight.

That’s it! That’s what Soo Young must have seen! A flashlight must have been tied onto the scarecrow, and was what led her to that site. For a helpless person to see a lig ht, it must have been their only source of hope. The victims must have run straight, and then fallen in despair when they saw that it was nothing that could help them. When they were at their most vulnerable point, that’s when the murderer killed them.

Min Ho’s searches lead to a location in Gangnam, where both Soo Young and Tae Ho were working near at the same time five years ago. His searches lead to a video uploaded to the web, where a murder took place in front of a bunch of bystanders and they all did nothing. A crazy man kept dragging a girl – Park Min Ji – around the courtyard in front of Soo Young’s bank, laughing maniacally. Min Ji was pleading for help, but everyone shied away.

Soo Young had been in that video, and when Min Ji had grabbed her hand, begging for help, Soo Young pulled away instead.

When Ye Ri visits Soo Young’s sister for a second time, she too finds out about the video, and the murder outside the bank. This strong guilt about not helping the girl in the video may have propelled her to become a better “Good Samaritan.” The sister also gives Ye Ri a bank book; she found it in her sister’s belongings.

Ye Ri returns to the office with more information for the boys; Min Ji has one father who survives her, Park Jong Suk. They all then get the call that another body was found in the mountains – a pro golfer. Ji Hoon rushes to replay the video; a golfer was also in the video, and he had just passed by the scene and put his golf bag in his car without lifting a finger to help Min Ji.

The suspect is now Park Jong Suk, and Ji Hoon orders for the officers to track down every single person in that video and provide protection. The father must be tracking them down as well and exacting revenge upon them.

The officers are all pretty smart in how they identify each person, using the barest of hints to figure out who must be whom. Eventually, they get to everyone, and have at least one officer protecting them all.

Meanwhile Do Shik listens to a tape recording that came from the pro golfer’s phone. He had accidentally pressed record on his phone right before he died, and managed to capture the killer’s voice. (Oh the coincidences of all coincidences!) Do Shik replays the recording over and over again, and picks up on the small cough that the killer makes before continuing his sentence. He’s heard that cough before – from the coffee vendor at the mountain.

Coffee Vendor = Park Jong Suk = killer. Deng!

With everyone protected, Min Ho and Ye Ri can finally take a small break. Min Ho muses that butterfly effects are far more powerful than it could ever have seemed. Because one person recorded the video, and caught the entire murder, three “innocent” people died five years later.

Ye Ri notes that when the video was first uploaded, the uploader got a lot of criticism, so he took it down. That’s when Ji Hoon has a revelation – they missed one more person! He quickly scans the video again in hopes of identifying the uploader; they need to still send a police officer to protect him. What’s worse is, the uploader was a waiter at a cafe across the street from the courtyard, and he was an absolute asshole. He was pissed off that a customer blocked his view and he couldn’t get a perfect shot of the actual murder.

That uploader/waiter Go Jung Joon is now a businessman, and he is in a cab, driven by Park Jong Suk by all people. When he hears that Jong Suk has seen the video that he originally posted, he proudly claims that he shot it. Jong Suk comments that if Min Ji’s parents had seen it, they would have collapsed. Go Jung Joon has no pity though, saying that Min Ji was simply unlucky. Like I said, asshole

Jong Suk says he would feel terrible, as he had a daughter as well. Because he was away from home so much, having been a seaman, his daughter was a troublemaker and dropped out of high school. He feels guilty for not having been a better father to her, especially now that she’s dead. Go Jung Joon’s reaction? His face reads, “Whatever.”

Do Shik goes back to Mt. Duma and asks the other vendors about Jong Suk’s whereabouts. They haven’t seen him in days, but presume that he’s back at his home in Shinchon. Do Shik heads to Shinchon and discovers that the video was reuploaded recently at a PC room in that area. When he calls to inform the rest of the team at the office, he finds out that the team is searching for Go Jung Joon.

Go’s phone turns on for a moment and GPS locates it to be in Bukhan Mountains. Do Shik overhears this and warns them not to go there – it would be a trap! He insists that Jong Suk would bring the body back to Mt. Duma, especially since he knows it best. Unfortunately, Do Shik’s phone turns off – no battery. Man – where’s a charger when you need one?! Now Do Shik is a lone wolf, searching for killer Jong Suk by himself.

Go Jung Joon wakes up from his drugged sleep and finds Jong Suk standing over him, axe in hand. He quickly scurries further away from his killer, and Jong Suk dares him to run.

Go runs off into the woods, with Jong Suk laughing and following, bow and arrows in hand. Just when he gets a chance for a shot, he gets tackled to the ground – by Do Shik! Do Shik gets Jong Suk in a choke hold, but struggles to handcuff him. In that moment, Jong Suk grabs a hidden knife and stabs Do Shik in the leg.

Poor guy just keeps getting hurt!

Jong Suk chases after Go, who is running towards the light – the light that is tied up to another scarecrow. When he realizes that there is no one to help him, or save him, he falls to his knees and wails in despair. Jong Suk appears behind him, arrows pointed at Go. “That child was my daughter!” he cries. “When she was dying in the streets, you all were standing around doing nothing.”

He inches closer, bow and arrow at the ready. Just when he’s about to shoot, the police arrive! Yay! Ji Hoon and company didn’t go to Bukhan Mountains! Jong Suk is fearless – he points his arrows right back at the other officers, while Ji Hoon, Ye Ri, and Min Ho all have their guns aimed at him. They were able to find the location easily because of the flashlight.

Ji Hoon knows that Jong Suk uploaded the video again as a way to raise attention to Min Ji’s death. He’s still angry and unforgiving towards the people who stood there and watched his daughter die; in some way, they are all murderers too.

Jong Suk aims his arrows at Go Jung Joon again and gets ready to shoot, but then an orange mountain hiking jacket flies through the air. Jong Suk shoots at it, but it only pierces through the jacket. At that moment, the police descend upon him and tackle him onto the ground.

A flashback to five year ago reveals a conversation Jong Suk had with his daughter via webcam. She had showed him a sonogram of her two-month old baby. Jong Suk was furious – how could a high school dropout with no steady job support a baby by herself? Min Ji was disappointed because she actually wanted this baby, but Jong Suk hung up on her.

That was the last time he ever spoke to her.

Ye Ri and Min Ho are handling the confession in the interrogation room. No matter what happened to Min Ji’s killer, Jong Suk could not forgive the bystanders. Being completely helpless in an area where one could have received so much help was much more frightening than any other possible situation.

Ye Ri hands the bank book she received from Soo Young’s sister. It was actually Min Ji’s, and she had opened a savings account for her father with Soo Young. Once she started earning money, she would have continually deposited a little bit for her father.

This was the account for which Soo Young had added an additional zero, and was subsequently transferred out of her branch. Because she felt so guilty for not helping Min Ji, she tried to repent for her mistakes by providing more money for the father than was actually in the account.

When Jong Suk opens the bank book, he sees the money that Min Ji and Soo Young had given him. He also finds a photo of Min Ji, smiling while holding up her sonogram picture. That’s enough to turn Jong Suk into a puddle of tears.

Ye Ri leaves the room and wonders if it was coincidence that two of the victims received the Brave Citizen Award after the incident. She can now understand why humans feel guilty. That feeling can determine people’s future actions; they can either feel like a coward for the rest of their life, or they can muster up the courage to help others when they are in danger.

We leave Do Shik again at the ambulance, getting treated for the wound on his leg. The team check up on him to see how he’s doing. He gloats in front of the team that Ji Hoon is starting to trust his gut instinct because that’s how they came to the right mountain, right? Ji Hoon merely smiles, and walks off. Min Ho is left to explain that they managed to track the GPS of the taxi cab that was parked there; Ji Hoon never trusted his gut instinct at all.

Heh. Oh well – it’s a start!

Comments:

This episode was very much like the case of Kitty Genovese, the girl who was murdered and raped in Queens, NY. Apparently, despite her cries for help, no one rushed to her aid or called 911. It’s a case of bystander effect, where the burden of responsibility is diffused among all the other bystanders so that in the end, no one does anything because they think the other will do something.

It’s a sad story to see the girl be murdered, and everyone was just staring and watching. No one even dared to yell at the crazy maniac who killed her. This episode was a question of who’s really the murderer, and who’s really responsible. Sure the crazy maniac is the actual murderer, but he could have been stopped by the bystanders. In a way, though Soo Young, Tae Ho, and the golfer all died, they were also guilty for their part in Min Ji’s death. It leaves me wondering: should I be sad they died? Or should I feel like justice was somewhat served?

It also makes me wonder if Ji Hoon is indirectly involved in the murder of “his woman” – whether he was a “bystander” who could have done something to save her, or whether he actually did kill her and/or put her in danger.

April 1, 2012 at 8:39 PM

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Thanks for the recap. This episode hit me the hardest. The feelings of anger this episode produced actually shocked me. I found myself surpringsly upset that the jerk bastard wasn't killed at the end. I kept telling the father to shoot before he was taken down. It was weird... But I'm so glad you addressed that at the end. It's what made this episode amazing

April 1, 2012 at 9:22 PM

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I already watched the episode but loved reading your recap nonetheless. Personally, I think this murder case was worse than the case of Kitty Genovese. Kitty Genovese's case was a classic case of bystander effect, but in this case the Min Ji was not just shouting in the air for help. She actually tried to get attention of specific people. Jo Soo Young for example, and if I remember it right she also tried to get help from another guy, but even then they chose not to help. When you see someone being hurt and asking for help, you may end up ignoring the cries of plea because you except someone else to step in, but when the person holds your hand and asks for help and you still choose to push her away, it's more than just bystander effect.

Maybe I am a little sadistic, but I actually wanted the father to finish off killing that business-man before getting caught. The bussiness-man was a complete asshole, Jo Soo Young deliberately pushed away a girl who was begging her to help, and Tae Ho seemed like he was stopping his friend from trying to help. (I am not exactly sure, but it appeared as if the friend he was with wanted to help, but Tae Ho was pulling him back). To me the golfer dude was the most "innocent" out of the four.

April 1, 2012 at 9:45 PM

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Also, with Kitty Genovese, no one person had complete knowledge of how much trouble she was in, which was why she didn't get help. No one saw the entire sequence of events, most only heard parts of it, and no one saw the final attack and rape. When all the different accounts were pooled together, they realized they'd let a woman die, but individually they had no idea. Which all just corroborates how bad this episode was in comparison to Genovese's case.

April 1, 2012 at 10:17 PM

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You're right about Soo Young and Tae Ho. She actually pushed the girl away and Tae Ho did hold his friend/student? back from going to help. It's one thing if you don't want to help but don't prevent someone else from helping! But I still think Golfer was as "guilty" as any of them. When he was at his car he was right behind the guy watching him stab the girl. He could have come up behind the guy and surprised him/pulled him away. The only one who seemed to have a conscience was the one who tried to help but was held back by Tae Ho. And Coffee-boy should have been the first to go. He was actually PROUD of having filmed a murder! And I'd like to add: DID ANYONE CALL THE POLICE/AMBULANCE?!!!

April 2, 2012 at 4:26 AM

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Me too!! I was so furious when the bastard did not die. It's a human life, how can they be so callous. Esp Coffee-boy who was safe in the cafe. He cld hv called the police or ambulance!!

I totally understood why the father punctured their ear drums and let them run like animals being hunted. It hurts even more when the young girl who died was such a fillial daughter, happy to start a new stage of her life as a mother.

April 1, 2012 at 11:24 PM

UNREGISTERED

This episode angered me too!!! The whole time I couldn't really hate the father for blaming and killing those ppl but I would never agree or think that it was alright to kill them. The feeling that she could have been saved is the worst :(

What they really deserved is to feel the fear his daughter felt right b4 dying. If I was him I'd do to them exactly what he did right up to before killing them, but killing them actually felt sad, not for those ppl but for the dad himself.

Plus we can't deny that some of those ppl are carrying their guilt with them, while others don't...

But the whole time I'm like HOW COULD THEY??!! A street full of people but no one does a thing??

April 2, 2012 at 9:53 AM

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I have to say that I feel the same. I did wish the father would have time to kill the business man. However, I think Soo Young and Tea Ho were better than that business man. They seem to have conscience because they regreted that they didn't have Ji Min and then lived their life with more courage than before. Meanwhile, that business man only considered Ji Min death as bad luck, and never even thought that he could help by calling the police in stead of recording the scene.
Actually, after watching the episode, I think the business man should be killed off first (He simply doesn't deserve to be called a person), and Soo Young should be the last "victim" of the father. In that case, if she was rescued, she would have had chance to give back the bank account book that she kept all the years to the father.

April 2, 2012 at 1:27 PM

UNREGISTERED

Thank you for an excellent recap AND for the insightful and thoughtful posts here, that I genuinely found interesting.

I too loved the nuances of the issue, 'the bystander effect' that this episode brought up. How culpable were those bystanders? Is the act of omission as blameworthy as the act of oppression? Is there an incumbent duty for everyone to save a life or help another?

However the issue that really intrigued me was the father's motivation. Was it revenge or justice? For me it came down to him wishing to incite some emotion in those people. For in truth, we can punish people BUT we can not make them feel bad. He may have instilled fear in those people but did they ever feel remorse over their actions, actual grief? I liked how they showed the myriad of consequences of doing nothing. People tend to think about 'actions' that affect the states of our hearts. However our omissions can be just as devastating.

Still it makes me wonder, how I would react? Would my heart seek to save the body it inhabits or would it sacrifice itself and thereby protect itself from spiritual hurt and destruction? Those people may have saved their lives (for a little while) but they wouldn't have been able to stop the hardening of their hearts; a punishment that they can not escape. However, like the father, I come back to the beginning; I want them to feel bad NOT fear hurt.

Anyway, that is enough of my circular musings. Once again, thank you for the excellent thoughts and insights.

April 1, 2012 at 9:33 PM

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I really enjoyed reading your recap for this ep. I especially liked your comment section - by any chance are you a psy major also ?!! - I couldnt help but to squeal in excitement when I read your remarks.

April 1, 2012 at 9:38 PM

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I'm assuming this "his woman" must be his wife, so I don't think he was a bystander in her death, because I have a feeling he would intervene if he saw someone killing his wife. Have we been told what his wife used to do? Maybe if she was also an officer, could it be like Won Bin's case in "The Man from Nowhere"?

Or from his willingness to "sacrifice" his detectives for the sake of investigation, maybe he used his wife? Like you know how he let Ye Rin be at the house even when he started suspecting the granny of murder. Although, maybe that time he wasn't cautious enough to use cameras? Ahh... Can't wait to learn the secret. Can't watch anymore episodes of the show (what with finals looming over me), but will be looking forward to you recaps! :)

April 2, 2012 at 12:13 AM

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I suspect that, him being a police officer in charge of the serial killer case put his wife in danger. It's the classic story (OMG, I'm a police officer wife too :)))).

This episode was a strong one, I could feel the pain of the father so interns, especially since I have a daughter too. How can a parent live after seeing the killing of his only child? he doesn't live, he just exists.

April 1, 2012 at 9:56 PM

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Thank you for the recap! This episode...wow. So much emotion embedded in it! I understand the killer, though he should've found some other way to take revenge instead. Hard, I know, but still. Or forgave them. I mean, they didn't actually kill his daughter. They were passerbys who were to chicken to help out. I mean, it sounds mean, but I'm not a very courageous person, I probably would've also not done anything. Or something. I don't know, hard to tell if you're not in that situation. Other than that (and just proved myself a coward), awesome episode! Thank you!

April 2, 2012 at 11:19 AM

April 1, 2012 at 10:54 PM

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Same situation as the south korean movie: a million. Situations like these really make you think what you would do as a bystander. I can understand why people would be too intimidated to confront the killer, but do nothing but watch? And that callous guy at the end? What a monster.

April 2, 2012 at 4:48 AM

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Thanks for the recap! I loved that episode. It makes you think about what makes us human. Is it our DNA, is it a qualification we need to acquire? And what can prevent us from helping an attacked person: Indifference, preservation instinct, sadistic tendencies that make people enjoy the scene like with a public execution? I'm not brave much, and i certainly wouldn't engage myself in a close combat with an obviously crazy guy. But still, i have a heart and a brain. I want to believe i would try to distract the attention of the aggressor from a safe distance. Or i would throw something at him. I also believe that all was needed to save the girl was a leader. If only one person had made the first move, then i'm almost sure others would have come to help. The first step can be so decisive...

April 2, 2012 at 9:14 AM

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This episode made me realize what a bystander could have made a big difference, could have saved someone's life, could have called police and all sort of things that "could've beens". I don't blame the father for taking his revenge on them but I don;t think killing them was also the solution. But He made people aware of something that could have been prevented if only someone helped....the least thing they could have done was to call 911.

It reminds me of my officemate who was mobbed and hit just in front of a fastfood chain and who was about to buy a burger after dropping off his wife at work for her graveyard shift. As he was about to go in, he took his wallet out of his pocket and as he was entering the door, a bum tried to take his wallet but he fought for it and the man hit him with a bat, he said people didn't even try to help, the least person he expected to help was a pan handler.

April 2, 2012 at 4:19 PM

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This is an awesome episode. I can't blame the father. But I can't also say that what he did was right. Seeing this episode made me think of what I'm gonna do if I'm one of the bystanders. Will I help? Or will I be a coward too just like them?

April 3, 2012 at 12:37 PM

UNREGISTERED

This episode was interesting. At the beginning I tried to figure out the motive ... and failed.

I dont think the father had right to take the lives of those people. Though they were kind of guilty, some of them changed and later helped people when they needed. They learned the hard way.
His killing seems to be a revenge more than a righteous act. On the other hand, I understand why everybody wishes he would "finish" the bussinesman.

April 3, 2012 at 10:07 PM

I guess I don't have such murderous intent as some here do, the father was acting out of his own guilt for not being around and for the last conversation he had with his daughter.

It's a hard thing to risk your life for people you know I imagine that it's harder to do for a stranger. We don't know that no one called the police

Of all the bystanders I found the golfer the worst because with those clubs he had a weapon too. He could have easily come from behind and wacked the guy with a club plus had room to get away is the guy came after him.

April 7, 2012 at 1:01 AM

April 9, 2012 at 11:51 AM

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Ye Ri leaves the room and wonders if it was coincidence that two of the victims received the Brave Citizen Award after the incident. She can now understand why humans feel guilty. That feeling can determine people’s future actions; they can either feel like a coward for the rest of their life, or they can muster up the courage to help others when they are in danger.

April 22, 2012 at 6:15 AM

April 22, 2012 at 8:31 AM

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loved this episode.though i don't know how i'm gonna watch the next episodes as the seng subs does not seemed to be available.

my goodness so many bystanders in that minji video and no 1 wanted to help at all.even call the police.but it happened so fast the maniac guy killed the girl that police wouldnt come in time.but so many ppl just stood thr.sad.

April 22, 2012 at 8:02 PM

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from all the eps. this one made me cry and made me feel so mad... at the moment the ahjussi captured the guy who filmed everything i was like "kill him!!" and then I was like "am I really thinking this?!" I thought from all of them the most at fault was the one filming cuz he was less exposed and dont even thought of calling the police or anything... he just thought that seeing a girl about to die on the street was "daebak"...

this is one of those issues when you dont really know whos the culprit... cuz yes, those people didnt help her but he was a crappy father and he neglected her, he felt guilty and decided to kill them... he said they were murderers but he's a murderer himself and the family of the people he killed could call him "murderer" too so its like a chain x.x

ps: kinda off topic, but you dont see that in these drama the girl hear that her sister was dead and theyre like " ohh so she is dead... that idiot" and thats all i was like WTF? O___o not even a tear or asking what happened... really weird!!

December 27, 2012 at 10:58 AM

UNREGISTERED

Kaedejen, see why your recaps are sooo essential? "That feeling can determine people’s future actions; they can either feel like a coward for the rest of their life, or they can muster up the courage to help others when they are in danger." That part did NOT appear in the subs at ALL. Ye-Ri just says she now understands why God gave humans guilt...

Anyway, guilt was the prime element I saw in this jam-packed episode. I cried most of the way through, especially when the father is revealed. (Yes, I also wanted him to complete his mission w/Jerk). I can see where some might minimize his reasons because he was motivated PARTLY by guilt. But his guilt doesn't discount the very real injustice his daughter suffered by the lack of solidarity in fellow "human" beings.

Frankly, I'm glad that guilt motivated the first two victims to become braver. I hope that guilt will haunt the Jerk videographer for the rest of his pitiful life and motivate HIM to act in favor of people in danger or suffering.

Idk, I might be biased but, despite the Monster's icy demeanor, I think he's definitely carrying guilt over "his woman's" death although we might not fault him for it when it's finally revealed.